New Beginnings, New Guardian
by Candy the Killa Kunoichi
Summary: Naruto, 10yr old ANBU cap. is sick of the way he's treated. His team and kage couldn't agree more so they decide to send him away. Avatar Roku confronts him a week early with a proposal. FULL SUM INSIDE! r
1. Prologue

Here's my first chapter to my first CROSSOVER!!!! I really really really hope you enjoy it!!!

_**Itai! ~holds head in pain~ You're too loud Candy! You're louder than me!**_

Aww! Shove it Naruto! Anyway, on with the story!!!

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Summary; Naruto, 10 yr old ANBU captain is sick and tired of the way he's treated by the civilians and the Hokage and his team couldn't agree more. He begins studying an practicing bending and soon uses the Kyuubi's temple to get to the world of the Avatar. A week before he left, Avatar Roku confronted him in a dream and asks him to be the Avatar's guardian and help him get through things! What will happen while he waits for the avatar to return? Will he get along with him? Will he make the friends he's always longed for and pull through with his promise to try and live a normal life as a bender/Shinobi more advanced than the Avatar with nine elements? Only time will tell...

Warnings; Foul language and bloody gore (queasy stomachs be warned!)

Rating; T for language and blood.

Pairing; ~Stares blankly~ Undecided.

Disclaimer; I don't own anything! Not Naruto! Not Avatar! If I did than I'd rule the whole wide world!!!

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Naruto sighed as he and Anko trained in bending. "Anko-neechan?" He asked uncertainly.

"What is it?" She replied as she sent a huge bolder at his head. He and the rest of team Fox were the only ones aloud to learn it along with ANBU general, since they'd probably stop by every year or so just to see each other and know what to expect.

Naruto thrust his arm out and the rock was cut right down the middle, falling to the ground. He went into his Fox stance and then punched a fist towards her, making flames shoot out of his clenched hand and she brought up an Earth wall to block it.

"What do you think it'll be like?" He asked hesitantly as he and Anko continued.

"I don't know, we've read everything on it all, Kyuubi got the message from Ko and some other spirits a few weeks ago, like you said, and told you that their at war at the moment. Other than that, I don't think it will be too hard for you to take them on. But what element will you stick too so no one thinks you're the avatar?" She said as they switched back to shinobi tactics. He got into his fox stance and she got into her Snake stance, they began circling each other.

"I was thinking air or water, fire wouldn't put me in high favor of anyone, and earth is my worst element, I shouldn't go with anything else but the four main elements and maybe the sub to the one I want to use. But I will not even go near blood bending again! I hate it, it's evil and vile, I curse who ever invented it!" He spat as he slammed a foot into her gut and she flung into a tree.

"I'm glad you feel that way, I especially didn't like being your puppet for ten seconds." She replied with a nod. "So, water or air? Which one?" She asked as they exchanged blows, she knew the boy was going easy on her, being the captain of Team Fox, or squad one, the strongest team in the whole shinobi nations with the youngest and most powerful ANBU in the world.

"If I went with air, I could teach people freedom and peace. And water would teach people defense and need to protect. But, in a whole, it would be easier if I said I was a Bibender and say I am the son of a water bender and an airbender, but no one would believe that on account that there hasn't been an airbender alive in almost a century. i could just go with air, I would like to go with all four, I'm nearly a master at Earth, given a couple more weeks, and I could stay in the earth kingdom for a while, but.. ugh!!!" He groaned and sat down after Anko hit him for losing focus on the match. "I'll just go with water and air! I'll reveal that I can do more when I gain trust and find the new Avatar if I have to hunt him down and tie him up using chakra strings! I mean, how can an Avatar that's stuck in the Avatar state be so hard to find?! He glows!" He exclaimed.

"Calm down fox-boy, you'll find him sooner or later. I know that Avatar Roku just confronted you last night because he heard you were going and could used all the elements, but I thought that my captain was always level-headed?" A dark haired boy around fifteen with a cheery smile and obsidian eyes said. He had the standard ANBU uniform and a sword strapped to his back. "Besides, what happened to the care-free little boy that saved me from Itachi last year?" He smiled weakly.

"Shisui, I'm just pissed at the Avatar is all. Both the current and Roku, they're big pains in my ass!" Naruto growled, glaring at the ground. He suddenly grinned. "Ne ne, Shisui-Niisan, want to train with me and Anko-Neechan?!" He asked, snapping back from his annoyance. Causing the two older teens to sweat dropped.

Shisui and Anko shook their heads and got into position and Naruto did the same on the other side of the field. "Alright you bipolar-teme! Now that there's two of us, we'll give you a run for your money!" Anko shouted at him.

"Don't get cocky Anko-chan!" Shisui muttered and Anko grinned at him as they charged their captain.

*** A week later ***

Naruto sighed as he finally mastered Earthbending to the skill of an Avatar, he'd done so with all his elements over the year they'd made the decision. He felt himself sadden slightly, they'd made the decision for this when Itachi was their captain and Shisui was an ANBU guard for the third. He shook his head furiously and Shunshin's to the Hokage tower in a swirl of red and white maple leaves, getting his mask on at some point or another.

He got there and sweat dropped when he saw the Hokage asleep on his desk, drooling a sea onto his paperwork. He put a silencing jutsu around the room as to not disturb anyone outside of the office and heard his dog masked former-sensei, Kakashi and Ibiki, smirk from the shadows as they found out what Naruto was up to. Naruto took of his fox mask took a deep breath before shouting, in a panic, "OJI-SAN!!! ITACHI'S BACK IN THE VILLAGE AND AFTER SASUKE AND THE FOX WITH A PARTNER!!"

The Hokage's head snapped up, eyes wide with horror. "Kakashi! Round up the guards!! Get the ANBU to the compound! Warn Shisui! Naruto, Tell all the shinobi forces to meet at the academy to... make a..." His eyes narrowed in realization and he glared at the three ANBU in his office, all of them snickering. "He's not really here? Is he?" He growled.

"No! But you know what Rin-Neesan says!" Naruto said in a singsong, clear as day, care-free voice. "No sleeping on the job!" He sang out like the ten year old he was.

"Naruto, is there something you need?" The Hokage asked in irritation.

"I wanted to tell you three good bye. I'm going to the shrine in a few hours, all I have to do is gather up my supplies and I'll be all go-goo-ACHOO!!" He sneezed and all the papers were sent flying as Naruto slammed into a wall. "Dammit! That's the ninth times that's happened today!!" Naruto growled, muttering curses about stupid air bending and forgetting about seals and when he set a tree on fire in the same manor this morning. "Shut up, you idiot!" He growled to himself when he noticed the looks he was getting. "Why don't you make me!" He challenged himself. "I would if I could, but we're one in the same!" He scowled at nothing as his eyes got a far off expression. "Teme. Ass. Teme. Ass." He continued this for a while and they just stared at him. The boy could be sane one minute, and totally psychotic the next!! "Anyway, I'll be all good in just a bit and I'll be going to the shrine. See ya!" He cheerfully called over his shoulder at the staring trio as he began muttering to himself again.

"I sure hope he doesn't do that too much when he leaves! And did you see that mad glint in his eyes every time he growled at himself?!" The three shuddered as they got back to work.

*** A few hours later ***

Naruto stared at the statue of Kyuubi for a moment before sighing for the hundredth time that day and taking out a brush and kunai. He cut his wrists with the kunai and began drawing very complicated designs all over the room, up the walls, on the sealing, and back to the statue. He continued this until the only bare spot was in the small circle he was standing in. He did a simple healing jutsu to fix his wrist before flashing through two thousand handseals at record speed, completing them in just three and a half minutes flat. He forced the chakra into the technique and pushed fire into the seals below him, knowing that, since he was using the kyuubi's temple, he needed fire, and he was nearly as good with fire as he was with air.

He stood his ground as the fire whisked in the small sealing circle and all the seals rushed to him before a flash of red and he stood in a similar shrine to the one he was just in, only, this time, the air smelled clear and completely untainted and the blood red walls were now orange-red. The last thing he saw before entering the bliss of unconsciousness, was a small wolf pup backing away from him very timid and slowly.

*** Three days later ***

Naruto groaned silently as he stirred slightly and sat up, yawning and stretching with audible pops from his back. He sighed in contempt as he stood and made sure he had all his seals still in place with his food, water, weapons, herbs, reading material, sealing equipment and medicinal attributes along with bandages and the sort. He stood and was surprised when he heard a yelp and looked down to find the wolf pup a few feet away, having been sleeping at his side. It was looking at him, not in fear, but nervously.

Naruto, having been trained in all medical attributes, was a certified vet. He'd stayed with the Inuzuka for months until he could do anything to justify health benefits for animals with his eyes closed and hands tied behind his back. He'd taken his whole six year old life learning how to be the best medic out there, he'd done the same for seals with Jaraiya and Itachi, Genjutsu with Kurenai, Kenjutsu with Hayate and Yuugao, Atonomy with the Hyuuga clan, taijutsu with Gai and many other things for a few months. The only thing he took a year to do was medninjutsu at six, seals and seven, and kenjutsu when he was at the tender age of five. The other things he only devoted about two months in between ANBU missions. The boy had joined ANBU when he turned seven, right after his year long trip with Jaraiya and Itachi. All in all, the boy was genius by his own right, more so than Kakashi, Orochimaru, and Itachi combined.

Naruto's veterinarian instinct kicked in within the sight of the pup. He immediately had a gentle, calming, and caring aura around him as he eased himself down to the pup and began checking out the poor thing. It was a female and only about the size of his head, perfectly healthy, if not for the few days it had gone without food. Her teeth were clean, her paws okay except for a twisted paw. Nothing wrong except it was most likely the runt of the litter and would never grow bigger than it was now and his paw. "Hey little guy. I'm going to straiten your paw and fix it, but you're going to have to sleep a bit and then I'll give you something to eat, okay?" He asked softly as he pet the pups head. She nodded wearily and Naruto smiled. "Did you even understand me?" He chuckled. The pup barked in affirmative and Naruto took out a needle with sedatives in them.

"okay, pup, you're going to get a bit sleepy, but this will make it to where you wont feel any pain as I heal you." The pup nodded and Naruto gently gave it the shot, it fell a sleep rather quickly and Naruto slowly twisted the paw back into position before using a veterinarian jutsu to keep it in place and then healing it with his little amount of chakra that he had at the moment. He took out some medical tape from the seal on his left wrist before taking a small vet plank and placing the paw on it, wrapping the bandage around to hold it in place.

He put his things away and sniffed the air. It was so clean and made him feel so calm, he shook his head, gently picked up the pup, and made his way to the door of the shrine. The poor wolf must have gotten himself looked inside.

Naruto came out to find he was in an air temple. "No wonder the air smells so clean and pure." He commented and began looking around and feeling rather mad when he found old fire nation helmets. "It may seem pure, but that's just because of the air nomads and their ways." He said and found a place to make a fire and began cooking a couple pieces of dry meat and pulling water from the air to make stew with some herbs and the meat.

He was almost done when the pup stirred and looked around tiredly. She saw Naruto and limped over to him, resting her head on his lap to show she was a good pup. She barked in pleasure when he began to scratch behind her ears. "Hey girl, how are you?" She yipped at him tiredly and he chuckled. "I'm Naruto... I guess I should name you... hm..." Naruto hummed thoughtfully, looking at her. She stared at him expectantly.

"I know, how about..." He trailed off and looked at her pitch black fur and shining blue eyes. "...Azureinu. It means blue dog, or spirit dog.(AN/ I'm really not sure if that's the case, but I'm still learning!) You like it?" He asked when he saw the excitement in her eyes and her ears perked. She barked in agreement. He smiled. "Great! Now, lets have some soup and get to sleep!" He said brightly as he pulled two bowls out from seemingly no where and filled them up with the stew before setting one down for her and taking his own. "It's hot, so be careful." He said after he'd taken a bite and burned his throat. After they ate, Naruto took some water from the air and washed the pot, bowls and spoon before they fell asleep.

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Yahhooo!!!! I finally finished my first chapter to my first cross over ever!!!! I really hope you enjoy and I really need help with the pairing!! So please vote on the poll below!!!

_**POLL!!!!!**_

**Who should Aang be with?**

AangxKatara-

AangxToph-

OR

AangxTyLee-

**Who should Naruto be with?**

NarutoxKatara-

OR

NarutoxAzula-

There you go!!!! These two will be the two main pairings so please, vote and review!!!!!


	2. Trust

Here's my next chapter!!!!

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Summary; Naruto, 10 yr old ANBU captain is sick and tired of the way he's treated by the civilians and the Hokage and his team couldn't agree more. He begins studying an practicing bending and soon uses the Kyuubi's temple to get to the world of the Avatar. A week before he left, Avatar Roku confronted him in a dream and asks him to be the Avatar's guardian and help him get through things! What will happen while he waits for the avatar to return? Will he get along with him? Will he make the friends he's always longed for and pull through with his promise to try and live a normal life as a bender/Shinobi more advanced than the Avatar with nine elements? Only time will tell...

Warnings; Foul language and bloody gore (queasy stomachs be warned!)

Rating; T for language and blood.

Pairing; The Poll results are in!!! The winners are.... NarutoxAzula!!! and AangxToph!!!

The counts down below!!!!!

Disclaimer; I don't own anything! Not Naruto! Not Avatar! If I did than I'd rule the whole wide world!!!

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(Time skip; one year)

Naruto walked with Azureinu on his shoulder. He'd grown even stronger in the past year and was a wanted criminal throughout the fire nation. He'd taken out about two thousand Fire Nation soldiers in the past three months alone. First getting a job as the apprentice of a blacksmith at the closest town to the southern Air Temple where he'd gotten before leaving five months later and then going from different post towns and getting supplies and taking other jobs, sometimes having to Henge to get the jobs. He then decided it was time to make a name for himself and took out his good old Fox mask and ANBU gear, and that was months ago, now Naruto decided to give the Fire Nation a break and just wanted to relax abit. He'd actually made quite a lot of friends in the towns he's gone to, even a few in the Fire Nation towns that surrounded the Air temple. That's acctually where he got his first job, a Fire post town. His boss actually knew that he was a water bender and never turned him in! He's just a kid, after all.

Azureinu did her part, too. Naruto had told her she could leave any time she wanted to, but she decided to stay with him. He now had his own familiar, an animal companion like many people in Konoha. She was an awesome fighter with the cunningness of a fox, strength of a lion, grace of a butterfly, and a pure golden heart. She was currently sleeping on Naruto's shoulder, rocked by the bounce of the boy's steps.

*** Three months later ***

Naruto stared at the girl in front of him, the girl was blind and acted like the perfect little girl, she was nine, he was eleven. He was her guard, but he had the strangest feeling that there was more to her than meets the eye.

Toph 'stared' at the boy through the earth. She didn't like him. There was no was way that this kid saved her father from being killed by the Fire Nation. He was too happy, too silent, too loud, too kind to be good, and acted so care-free it was like nothing was going on in the world. Yep, she didn't like him. Her parents thought she needed a guard to protect her and didn't even let her learn anything but the basics in earth bending, she was good at earth bending, she practiced alone and with the badger-moles in secret when no one was around. Now they hire a KID, who is probably only a year or two older than her, to guard her?! She narrowed her nonseeing eyes at him and he just continued to smile at her.

She felt her parents walk away and then knew something was off when the smile came off his face. "You're not happy? Are you?" He asked seriously.

"Gee, what tipped ya off?" She muttered sarcastically. She glared a nonseeing glare at him. "I don't like you." She said impassively.

"I didn't say you had to." Naruto said with a yawn as he lay down in the grass. He pat the ground next to him, motioning for her to sit as Azureinu came and nestled herself in his lap. Toph walked forward and sat down where he pat. "Okay, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You're Bei Fong Toph. Intros over." He said softly as he turned his gaze to her. "Why, other than me being your guard, is it that you're so upset?" She turned her head to him with a raised eyebrow. "I know that something is wrong. You were upset before we even met." He stated bluntly as he looked up at the stars above, it being around midnight when Naruto and Toph's dad arrived there.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said defiantly.

"Toph-chan. I know you know exactly what I'm talking about." He said seriously before his eyes softened. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly enough so only she could hear.

She stared a nonseeing stare through him before turning her head to the earth. "You'd think I was just being a baby." She scowled as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No I wont. I promise. And I never go back on my word." He said sternly and she knew, by the beat of his heart, that he was telling the truth.

"My parents think I'm a helpless little baby that can't walk on my own. I only get taught the basics over and over again so I practice my earth-bending in secret, with the badger moles in a cave." She began softly. "I just wish they'd learn that I'm not going to need to be looked after forever." She shook her head in annoyance. "It's fun with the badger-moles, but I'll never be able to become the best earth bender in the world if I can't find a teacher willing to teach me these things!" She groaned and laid back on the grass, her shoulder next to his.

"I could teach you some bending tricks, but you'd have to promise me that you'll use them the right way." He offered, staring at the sky as Azureinu crawled up and snuggled up on his chest instead of his lap.

"I promise." She whispered as she closed her eyes and relaxed a bit. She had no idea it would feel so good to just let out a few words on what she truly wanted. She still didn't like him too much, but she had a feeling that maybe things would become better and they'd be friends, no matter how much she didn't want him as a friend, an even bigger part of her seemed to be longing for someone to talk to. "What element can you bend?" She asked after they'd been laying there for around twenty minutes.

"...Air... And water... Among others." He replied hesitantly and she seemed to be contemplating.

"So... you're the avatar?" She asked finally.

"No." He said bluntly. "Just someone in search of the Avatar. My sources tell me he's somewhere south of here and trapped in the Avatar state, making it to where he's not aging. So he'd be around twelve at the moment, trapped somewhere. I've gotten several random chats with random spirits, and even befriended some, making it easy to know these things. The first one to contact me was Avatar Roku, he told me that I'm to be the Avatar's guardian. I can't teach him, but I can teach others to teach him. I'm probably the best bender in all four nations at the moment, because no one really knows the true meaning behind the elements. Oh crap!" He said before cursing in Japanese, she didn't even bother asking since she'd heard him telling her father what 'chan', 'sama', 'ojiji', and so on meant. But she had no idea what he was saying, though. "Toph, you have to promise not to tell anyone about what I just told you, if anyone asks, the only things I can bend is air and water, that's rare, but not unheard of for someone to have two elements. You can't tell anyone anything. Please, promise me you wont tell." He said, sounding somewhat hopeful.

She smiled slightly. "Okay Naruto. I promise not to tell anyone about it. Hey, what is the true meaning behind the elements, anyway?" She asked curiously.

He smiled. "They teach you something." He began, thinking that she was sort of like Anko, easy to talk to, tomboy, and a kickass earth bender. "Okay, Air bending teaches freedom and peace, most of the Air nomads were kind and gentle, or care-free and at peace with their surroundings. Water bending teaches defense and the need to protect, most water tribes were prosperous in war because their need to protect and heal their home, most are calm and gently, and most of the time the males were worriers while the women were healers. Earth bending..." Toph perked up. "...teaches strength and the will to stand your ground. It taught you how to keep strong when faced against a strong enemy and how to stand your ground without backing down, that's why most Earth-benders were noted for their bravery and will many a years ago. Then there is fire bending, which taught the most important lessons. It taught aggressiveness... and also gentleness." Toph looked confused. Naruto sighed. "Fire itself could burn whole forests and towns to the ground, but fire also gave warmth to those who need it. That's why I wanted to publicize my fire bending over my others, but the Fire Nation is the cause of this chaos and the death of innocent people. Only about a third of the Fire Nation are evil and want power. The rest are either innocent who fear for their lives, innocent civilians who want no part in it, people who were banished or ran away from the land, or a purely confused, don't-know-what-to-do idiot. From what I can tell, most fire benders have forgotten the lesson that fire teaches, as did every other bender, out of everyone in this world, probably only a fourth, and eight even, truly know and remember the lessons their element taught. Did you remember the lesson, did they teach it, or did you just know the lesson behind Earth bending." Naruto asked her while looking at the many stars in the sky.

Toph was shocked, he'd shared so much with her and seemed to trust her enough to tell her a lot about himself and the four nations in general. She shook her head to clear it before answering. "I knew the lesson, I just didn't know what it implied. I don't even think my teachers did." She grinned at him. "I guess I should start training more based on what I've learned today, right?" She chuckled and soon he and she were laughing together.

Toph's mother showed up to see the two of them seemingly daydreaming. "It's time for bed guys. Naruto, I'll show you your room, follow me." She said and they complied.

*** Two years later ***

"I guess this is good bye." Naruto said with a sad smile as he looked at the family. They'd sort of become his own family, he saw them as his and they saw him like a cousin or younger brother. He gave Toph a gentle hug and she hugged back, surprising her parents since she didn't really like huma contact with them for who know's what. "I guess I'll come back in a few years Toph-imouto(younger sister) stay strong while I'm away, you got that." The thirteen yearold boy smiled at his little sister figue.

"Got it, Naruto-ani(older brother) and don't you get too lazy to where you can't even drag your own feet back here." She teased and he pouted before motioning for Azureinu to follow him.

"See ya later!" He called over his shoulder.

"There goes the boy that changed out life." Toph's mother sighed as she and her family went back inside.

Naruto sighed as he walked East. He got paid a large quantity and needed to gather up more supplies before beginning his trek to the South, he also needed a boat. He sighed, there was nothing to get him there fast enough for his liking, and he felt himself wanting to go to the South, like something up there was pulling at him, but he couldn't until he had a jacket to keep warm, more ink and scrolls, having used them to show the Bei Fong family a little about seals. He told the three of them the truth, since he knew he could trust them, he actually surprised himself at how easy it all came out, he even told them of the Kyuubi and they thanked him for holding him at bay, making Naruto's respect for them raise and the respect for most of Konoha drop a good ten stories, maybe a good mile. He also needed to get to a blacksmith area so he could fix his sword, having bent it in a spar with Toph a few months after he got the job. And maybe getting some different types of herbs and fruit would be good too, along with some boots and gloves for the South pole.

He was wearing the standard Earth garb... he just took the green and made in black and the yellow and made it orange, other than that, he looked like the standard Earth bender. But he also had the standard Air and Fire garb in one of the many sealing scrolls he had sealed away in a seal on his arm. He picked up the wolf that was walking at his feet, she was three years old and had only grown a centimeter since they started traveling together, and pet her affectionately, earning a bark of affection from the pitch black wolf in his arms.

*** Three months later ***

It's Naruto's fourteenth birthday and he was having the time of his life! He was going against all odds... like usual. In his old ANBU armer and mask that he hadn't put on in two whole years, using his good-as-new sword and using it to fight enemies as he walked through a dark hall, a fire-ball in his hand for light as he searched. He pulled his sword out and plunged it behind him, a gasp and gurgle and the man that Naruto'd just plunged through the heart was lying on the ground, dead. He walked calmly as he wiped off his sword and sheathed it again. He pushed open another door and ducked under a fire ball heading his way, distinguishing his own in favor of using air. He made a chopping motion with his hand and the man and prisoners watched in horror as a blade made entirely of wind cut him clean in half. The man was finished so quickly it took him a moment for the life to drain from him.

Naruto sighed and grabbed a torch before unlocking each cell, one by one. The prisoners timidly came out and felt welcomed and oddly calm about the man whistling a cheery toon behind his mask and the warm aura that he produced. He gathered them around him. "Okay guys, who's benders and what can you bend?" He asked them.

"We are earth-benders." A group of ten said as one while two lone Earth Nation children just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"We're water-benders." A man said, gesturing to the group of seven behind him.

"And we're fire-benders that want no part in this blasted quest for power." A man sighed, gesturing to a group of about five others in his group.

"Okay, here's the plan, I'm going to lead you out and I want you to find a clearing and stay there till I'm finished here, I'll come find you and help you find a place to stay." Naruto told them sternly. "That's a promise. And I never go back on my word! Dettebayo!" He saluted and began leading them up to ground level. They were attacked several times, but Naruto took them out with a simple blast of air blades. They were out and Naruto nodded to them before rushing in, they heard screaming this way and that and scurried off.

Naruto took out another opponent as he put a tag on another house, he'd done the same in every hall on every level underground. He stopped and activated the tags and disappeared in a swirl of red and white maple leaves as the whole encapment exploded. He landed lightly, without a sound, at the edge of where the land was hollow. He stomped his foot on the ground and jump back, just before the ground colapsed to make a huge crater. He watched as it suddenly became filled with water from the river on the other side and couldn't help but smle slightly.

He took out a blood red cloth and began wiping his blade off and walked into the clearing as he sheathed it. All eyes turned to him and everything went silent. As he walked, the wolf ran to him and hopped to his shoulder. "Hey Azureinu. Did you have fun on your hunt?" He asked as he scratched behind her ear. She barked in contempt and licked his mask, causing him to chuckle happily. "I missed you, too. But we were only separated for a few hours." He turned his attention to the group of twenty-five benders. "Konichiwa! I suggest you guys start the first village of the next generation. If I've got anything to say about it, the Fire Nation's quest for power is about to end and the innocent ones will all live in harmony. I can stay to help build the first few houses and buildings." They smiled slightly and shook their heads.

"No, you've helped us to the best of your abilities and we wish you luck, but we can not ask of anything else." The eldest man, a water bender, said with a bow as the others followed suit.

"Very well, I hope you all live happy and safe lives from now on, Sayonara." Naruto bowed and disappeared. No smoke, no breeze, no trace that he was even there.

*** One year. Two months ***

Naruto walked with a grace no one in the fire nation had ever seen and with pure confidence as he walked towards the Fire Lords home. Many people didn't even know who he was, but three people glared at him menacingly, knowing that hair and wolf pup anywhere. They were the three sole survivors to Naruto's few attacks in the past year. They just hoped that their Fire Lord would take the kid's life, slowly and painfully.

Naruto scoffed and rolled his eyes, silently cursing Avatar Roku for this stupid task, he was just about a day from the South Pole just a week ago when the bastard had given him this task to 'warn the Fire Nation', he glared slightly at the few people glaring at him and others that were glaring at him with pure, undiluted curiosity. Naruto clicked his tounge and Azureinu hopped onto his shoulder with the agility of a fox. He approached a palace of some sort, pushing past the guards and side-stepping several blasts of fire that were sent his way from about a few dozen people. He simply knocked them into walls, using earth and air bending, to knock them out. A few almost shouted out 'It's the Avatar!' But were cut off when a huge boulder crushed them before the words were half way out of their mouths. After making sure all the witnesses were out cold, he began strolling through the halls, mapping it out and looking through the rooms for anyone of use, making sure no one saw him, even when he was walking through the halls openly, using his stealth to hide in plane view.

After making sure he knew the palace forward, backwards, side-to-side, and even upside down, he approached a huge door that had several presences behind it. Why were the doors so huge, anyway? Maybe Fire Lord Ozai was a twelve foot tall giant or something. He chuckled softly at the thought of the image of the Fire Lord.

Maybe he should just kick down the huge door and scare them with killing intent so bad that they piss themselves? He vaguely wondered as pushed the doors open effortlessly and walked in.

The voices that were muffled before the door opened stopped and there was a long, tense silence as everyone turned slowly to stare at him in disbelief and rage. He was in a room with a bunch of old men, all generals by their looks and air of superiority, he noted as he stared at them blankly.

"And you would be?" One growled at him in annoyance.

"Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto." Naruto said emotionlessly, trying not to grin as they just looked at him oddly.

"What is your business here?!" Another demanded him fiercely.

Naruto smiled an innocent smile that none of them believed. "I just want to speak with Fire Lord Ozai, ask how he's doing, and then give him a bit of a warning before I go on my way." He said, again with little to no emotion in his voice as his smile disappeared, being replaced with a blank expression that no one could tell anything about.

Naruto watched as someone rose from his seat and make his way towards him with a stony expression that most wouldn't be able to figure out, but Naruto could plainly see the look of rage that was in the man's eyes. The man stopped in front of him and glared. Fire Lord Ozai stood in front of him, a mere five feet in front of him, to be exact. Naruto smiled a crooked smile at the Fire Lord, this was going to be fun.

He stared at the man for several minutes, the man stared back, noting the new emotions of amusement that was clearly written on the teen's face. "What do you want to tell me?" The man asked calmly, suspicion wrapped around every word.

Naruto hummed quietly, making the fire-benders in the room rather annoyed with him. "You're at war? Are you not?" He finally stated, not asked, stated.

"Yes, we're close to ending it." Ozai said emotionlessly.

"Hmmm..." Naruto hummed again, bouncing on his heels slightly, gaining a slight twitch from the Fire Lord and his generals and such. "Are you sure about that?" Naruto challenged with narrowed eyes.

"Positive." Ozai said with a glare at the doubtful teen. "Is there really a puprose to this visit?" He asked menacingly.

"Yes, I just wanted to let you know, the Avatar will have friends in high places and-" Naruto froze and his eyes flashed white for a second and he shook his head, holding it with one hand. He cursed violently in a language none of them understood. After a long, five minute threat he finished cursing Roku. "..._And I hope that fate makes these stupid disgraces to fire-bending die horrible and painful deaths! I just wont give them that warning Roku! You here me? It's all your fault that I wasn't there when the Avatar broke out of the Avatar state! All your fault!"_ He growled out at seemingly nothing, while Avatar Roku stared at him in pure horror from the spirit realm. Naruto looked up and glared at them, eyes flashing red and emitting killer intent that scared them half to death, two of them literally keeling over from a seizure and another four from a heart attack. "And you will be shown no mercy for your blatant disrespect to fire and its other purposes!" He finally growled out, disappearing in a flash of red and gold.

Ozai was the first to calm down and slowly turn to the others, "Leave. We'll finish out meeting in two days." He said shakily and the others nodded in agreement as he made his way to his chambers. He had to figure out what the boy meant, what that odd mood swing was about, and... he needed some new pants.

*** A few minutes later ***

Naruto stalked through the halls of the Fire Lord's palace, finally getting over his rage and saw a sign on the wall. It was his picture with a bounty as great as the Avatar's, he snorted, he'd only just been seen five minutes ago and they already had posters and a bounty over his head?! He really must have pissed them off, he mused as he continued walking. He saw an interesting girl around his age, and he wanted to know if she was cruel because she was, or if it was to hide her pain.

Walking past a broody girl that was boredly playing with a knife, she didn't even notice him with his chakra masked and a minor genjutsu over himself. Same thing happened as he walked past an acrobatic girl that was walking on her hands and talking to a random fire nation soldier. He watched a soldier flee from a room that he'd just entered with one of the posters that had just been made in what, two minutes?

He entered and sat down on the bed beside the princess he'd been searching for. "Hmmm...." The girl murmured in a soft, subdued voice. "Kid must be strong to worry father like that." She said with a scoff.

"Thanks." A voice replied from next to her and she jumped at not noticing another person, not only in her room, but next to her!

She stood swiftly and dropped into a fire bending stance. "Who are you?" She demanded with a growl.

"It's more polite to give your name before asking for another's." Naruto smirked in reply. Her eyes narrowed and she shot a fire ball at him. He simply distinguished in with water taken from no where. After she stopped throwing fire at him, he simply evaporated the water using fire of his own, locking his eyes with hers and saw something hidden deep inside the princess of fire. She _was_ wearing a mask! She was trying to hide her pain with anger and cruelty. While he was in his own world, he always hid behind a mask for everyone but the Hokage and a few ANBU teams, teams one(his squad), team two, and teams nine and thirteen. He stood and walked towards her and caught the balls of flame that she tossed at him, distinguishing them by clenching his fist, he then lifted his hand and caressed her face gently.

He watched her eyes widen in surprise and something way deeper than that... Respect? Love? Acceptance? He couldn't really tell, and that was saying something.

Azula was really, truly trying to resist, but his hand was so gentle... and warm... and... she subconsciously leaned into her fellow fifteen year old's touch. When she finally realize what she was doing, she didn't even want to move.

"You don't need to hide your true self anymore." He said gently and smiled sadly at her.

"..." She didn't sat anything; too lost in the warmth and care of his gentle hand.

From what Naruto could tell, Ozai wasn't the warmest father to his children, and with his wife's disappearance... he could understand Azula's need to look strong.

He watched her eyes close and her face soften to a look of peace that seemed so right compared to the looks of hatred that were normally there. He knew he had to help her somehow, even if it took a year to do so. But he couldn't find a way to help her yet, with the war between them, so he had to find a way to get her on his side. He slowly pulled his arm away, and she followed his hand.

She closed her eyes tighter and her face looked almost hopeless. "Please don't go." She said louder and more desperately than she would have liked. She could feel her face heat up and knew she was either blushing or she was running a high fever.

Unable to refuse, he felt his own face heat up and nodded slightly, even though she couldn't see it. He walked around he and wrapped his arms around her in a soft embrace. He felt her melt into him and sat down on the bed, her following, leaning her head on his shoulder as they began talking softly. After about seventy-two minutes of talking about her life and all she'd been through, she decided to ask a question that'd been bugging her. "What did you do to get that high a bounty over your head?" She asked, gesturing to the rolled up parchment on the bedside table.

Naruto smirked. "That thing is only from about an hour and a half ago. I really just interrupted a meeting and than scared the shit out of everyone, killing about five from a seizure or heart attack." He chuckled and she giggled, making his face heat up slightly. She had a beautiful laugh. And letting out all the tears and pain that she felt in one go... it seemed to make her life be that much easier.

"Part of me wonders what Zuko's doing right now." She commented after a few seconds pause.

"The one after the Avatar?" She nodded and glanced up at him.

"So, how is it that you can do so many elements? Are you the Avatar?" She asked him with a yawn, leaning closer into him.

"No." He said sheepishly. "But you're not the only one to ask me that. The first was an earth kingdom noble family. Then there was a few of the Fire Nation camps that I've taken out. And this one group that I'd saved from some bandits. But no, I'm just the Guardian, not the Avatar itself." He smiled slightly.

"The Guardian?" She asked in confusion and he sighed. He began telling her the full, deteriorating truth.

After a good two hours worth of explanations and laughing, the two were closer than close. Best friends in a short amount of time. "So 'Zula-chan, I'll see you next time I'm in Fire Nation territory?" He grinned at her and she grinned back.

"Yeah 'Ruto-kun. And I'll, most likely be after the Avatar sooner or later, so I'll see you then as well. And then I'll join up with you after a few attempts, or wait till you find the Avatar's group if you haven't when I join the task of capturing him." She said, yawning and leaning back against him again, snuggling up. "I'm tired." She murmured and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Naruto chuckled as he slowly positioned her in the bed, tucking her in snugly and placing a red beaded bracelet in her hand before disappearing without a trace. No smoke, no breeze, no trace that he was even there except for the red bracelet in the hand of the Princess Azula.

*** ** ***

Whew!! That took forever to write!! I really, really hope you enjoyed this, I had fun writing it and I know it was kinda rushed, but I really wanted to get Naruto to have some ties with Toph so Katara and Sokka trust him better, and I wanted Aang to be let out and have Naruto have a reason to meet up with Azula. I know that their relationship is getting started rather fast, but their still just friends at the moment, best friends. They'll take a few more meetings before they really start their relationship. Anyway, flames will be used to cook hotdogs, constructive criticism will earn you virtual ramen, and suggestions will earn you ramen with a piece of chocolate cake!!!

Here's the POLL count!!!

**Who should Aang be with?**

AangxKatara-4

AangxToph-6

AangxTyLee-0

**Who should Naruto be with?**

NarutoxKatara-0

NarutoxAzula-11

NarutoxMei-0

Ja Ne!!!


	3. The Search Continues

Here's the next chapter!!!

*** ** ***

Summary; Naruto, 10 yr old ANBU captain is sick and tired of the way he's treated by the civilians and the Hokage and his team couldn't agree more. He begins studying an practicing bending and soon uses the Kyuubi's temple to get to the world of the Avatar. A week before he left, Avatar Roku confronted him in a dream and asks him to be the Avatar's guardian and help him get through things! What will happen while he waits for the avatar to return? Will he get along with him? Will he make the friends he's always longed for and pull through with his promise to try and live a normal life as a bender/Shinobi more advanced than the Avatar with nine elements? Only time will tell...

Warnings; Foul language and bloody gore (queasy stomachs be warned!)

Rating; T for language and blood.

Pairing; NarutoxAzula and AangxToph

Disclaimer; If I owned anything... I'd rule the whole world. Sadly, neither or will ever happen.

*** ** ***

Three days had passed as he was just getting out of the Fire Nation, making his way towards the presence of the Avatar. He walked with his trust wolf companion at his feet, she was chasing a butterfly and he was laughing at her when he suddenly sneezed, sending him flying about seventeen in the air. He landed gracefully, cursing ever learning air-bending and forgetting his stupid health seals in... somewhere. He could make more, but he really didn't want to stop at the moment. He was walking through a random town when he froze and his eyes flashed white.

He shook his head and looked down at the little kids staring at him. "Um... Hello." He said warily.

"That was cool mister!" A little boy exclaimed.

"Yeah! Can you teach us?" A little girl asked, just as excited.

"Well, it's not really something that can be taught. Besides, it really only causes headaches and stalls in motion." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh. Well, see ya mister!" The boy said, grabbing the girl's hand and running off.

Naruto sighed and continued to follow his wolfy companion, cursing the Avatar for going into the Avatar state. "He probably went to the Southern Air temple. I knew I should've cleaned the place up and buried the bones of the monks." He cursed himself for his stupidity.

After a while, he was led to water from the presences. He cursed and sent chakra to his eyes, making a faint outline of an island miles away. He took out a map from seemingly no where. He frowned. "Kyoshi Island, huh. I need to get a boat." He cursed his luck as there were no ports to be seen for miles. He took a deep breath, got into a stance, and moved his arms gracefully in front of him, freezing a few paces in front of him. He smiled and charged forward, moving his arms with quick, graceful jerks as he ran, making it to the island in about an hour when he saw a huge bison with a beaver tail flying in the same direction he was going, from the other side of the island.

He stepped onto the beach and the bridge of ice melted immediately as he began cursing violently in Japanese. He continued, even as he was surrounded by the Kyoshi warriors. They looked exhausted and worn, some even had singed clothing and he saw a Fire Nation ship heading in the same direction as the Avatar. He stopped as they charged at him, he ducked under a few and jabbed a few pressure points before one snuck up behind him and got one of _his_ pressure points.

He blinked a few times before falling forward, seeing Azureinu being picked up as well. He muttered one last curse before darkness enveloped his vision. Damn the Avatar! This is the third... fifth time he's gotten him in trouble!

*** A few minutes later ***

Naruto groaned as he awoke. He knew he was bound by something and cursed his luck, again. Seriously, he came all the way here using water bending, so he was too tired to really try and defend himself. He blinked past the haze to see the villagers staring at him, and a few were still helping put out fires around the area. "What happened here?" He asked with a yawn. "Fire Nation attack you or something?" He asked, his mind not really keeping up with him at the moment, still tired from all the walking and bending he'd been doing to get great distances.

He could have been there already, but he wanted to conserve energy. And now he was tied to a post and the Avatar was who knows where! "Who are you?" A girl who he presumed was the leader, demanded.

"Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto." Naruto replied. "Now, what the hell happened here?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I answered your question, now answered mine before I break these and leave." Naruto said calmly.

"Yes, the Fire Nation attacked, now answer my question!" The girl barked.

"I wont lie to you. I'm looking for the Avatar." He shrugged.

"Why?!" She had him by the front of his shirt now.

"Because I'm supposed to help him." Naruto replied truthfully.

"Help him?! Help him?! You expect me to believe that!? You're dressed like a fire-bender! And you had this animal with you!" The girl said in bewilderment, holding up a still unconscious Azureinu.

"Of course I did. She's been with me for nearly five years." Naruto frowned at her and looked at his clothes. "And, I just got out of the Fire Nation. So of course I'd dress like this to fit in as to not get put in prison. I've already got a bounty on my head, I don't need more troubles with those bastards." Naruto scowled in annoyance. "Now, are you done interrogating me?" He demanded, irritation evident in his voice.

"Why would a boy like you want to hide inside Fire Nation? And how'd you get the bounty?" She asked curiously.

"I wanted to piss of Ozai. And I succeeded in killing all the guards that tried to stop me from entering the palace." Naruto yawned, leaning his head back a bit. "Can you let me go, now? I'm sort of in a hurry." He asked calmly.

"...Fine! But we'll be watching you until you leave!" She barked at him hesitantly.

He smiled slightly with his eyes closed as they untied him. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He opened his eyes and grinned. "Well, I would, but then it wouldn't be my decision anyway, eh?" He rubbed his wrists before walking forward to pick up his small wolf companion.

"If she's been with you for five years, how come she looks like a pup?" A little girl asked him.

"She was the runt, she'll never grow any bigger than this. But don't let her size fool you, she can be a lean, mean, fighting machine when she needs to be." Naruto said, ruffling the girl's hair fondly before walking off, feeling a few Kyoshi warriors hot on his trail. He sighed after he got to the beach again, he was letting his guard down way too easily in this world, too confident. He placed Azureinu in his jacket so she wouldn't fall out as he ran another ice bridge before swinging his arms and running as fast as he could, only looking like a flash on the water.

"Whoa, he's fast." One of the Kyoshi warriors mumbled in awe as they exchanged glances.

Naruto was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed, he was livid. The fucking Avatar was so going to die the moment he found him. What, did the Avatar have some telepathy that tells him when Naruto was coming, saying to go before the teen shows up or something. He's been chasing the Avatar north for two months, and he always seems four steps ahead of him. Every time he stopped where the Avatar had been, he always just missed him and his friends. He began cursing violently as he trained and Azureinu watched from the sidelines.

He punched a tree with such force that it was sent flying, roots and all, into a dozen other trees before it burst into dust while in mid-air. He went around the clearing and began picking up his stuff and put on a winter coat, allowing his wolfy companion to hop in and snuggle up. They had a long run to the North Pole across miles upon miles of Ocean. It would be a four day run, at least.

He began sealing up his things into sealing scrolls before sealing those into seal on his arms. He grabbed his pouch and looked through his things and cursed violently once more. He had to make some more soldier pills! And he was out of...

"ACHOOO!" He flew up, fire spewing from his nose.

.....Health seals. He cursed his allergies and the fact that the Health seals weren't a one seal only thing. He could make those other kind, where they last for up to fifty years, that his father had made with Tsunade, but those take about a week to complete, and tons of chakra that he couldn't afford to spare.

He gathered some on the wood he'd destroy and made a pit using earthbending. He pulled out a scroll that was a dark, forest green and pulled a bunch of different herbs and other items out and began the two hour process of making your own compressed soldier pills. After making the last on, he thanked the gods that he didn't sneeze and mess it up before pulling out blank paper notes and began the fast process of making thirty in less than ten minutes. He tucked his things back into their seals or pouches before walking north again. He reached the beach and popped a pill into his mouth before swinging his arms and running in a blur towards the Northern Water tribe.

*** Two days later ***

As Naruto ran he froze and his eyes flashed white, he had to use chakra to stay above the water when the ice beneath him melted from his loss of concentration. He grumbled as he used more water bending. Sure chakra was more beneficial, it tired him out more than bending.

*** Three days later ***

The second he got there, he felt a depressed sort of aura in the air, and a few sunken Fire Nation ships her and there. "Stupid Fire Nation." He scowled as he walked forward... only to nearly get ran over by one of those annoying flying bison.

"Sorry!" He heard a female voice shout and looked up to see a girl waving at him. He waved back weakly, cursing everything that seemed to cause him troubles. He glared at the bison that was quickly disappearing over the horizon, landing on a barely visible boat that was so far away, he hardly noticed it till then. But still, how could something so big fly so fast? He laid down where he was, he was too tired to even try to catch them now. He made a fire with some wood he had taken from... somewhere.

He took out a small pot and cooked some stew for himself and Azureinu before falling asleep within seconds of laying down.

*** Somewhere in Fire Nation; At sea ***

A girl stepped out of a carriage like thing that four people were carrying (A/N; I have no idea what it's called). She walked forward and motioned for the twenty fire-benders to rise. They stood, looking at her in attentive. "My brother and my uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us." Azula started as she began walking slowly across the center of their two lines. "You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family, I understand." She narrowed her eyes. "But I assure you, if you hesitate I will not hesitate to bring you down." She raised her head slightly. "Dismissed." The soldiers walked forward and down to below deck as she stared into the North. _'Have you found them yet?'_ She wondered as she turned to face the fire-bender making his way to her.

"Princess. I'm afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into port before nightfall."

"I'm sorry captain, but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me?" She said as she turned to look at the sea again.

"Of course your highness." The captain said, swallowing hard.

"Do the tides command this ship?" She asked in a dangerous voice.

"Uh.... I'm afraid I don't understand." He said wearily.

"You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in." She said, turning to look out of the corner of her eye. "Do the tide command this ship?"

"No princess."

"And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you into the rocks?"

The man swallowed hard. "No... princess." He said, looking down.

"Well then, maybe you should worry less about the tides, who hace already made up their minds about killing you, and me, who's still mulling it over." She said, turning to him.

"Yes princess." The man scurried off and the second they were gone, Azula looked at her feet for a few moments before looking out at sea with a gentle smile on her face. "I can't wait to get out of this mess hole." He whispered to herself as she leans on the side of the railing, gazing at the water.

*** Two days ***

Naruto was making greater speed than the last few days, when he saw a ship, a Fire Nation ship at a dock. He grinned when he saw a soldier be tossed overboard. He caught it and knocked it out, stole his armor, and put it on before tossing the unconscious man into sea. Might as well cause more troubles. He ran up the side gracefully, not making a sound as he pocked his head over cautiously. He saw someone he'd been thinking of for the past few months. He waited till no one was looking before hopping on and going to explore.

After a while, he got bored and went up to the deck. He crept up to the princess, who was gazing at the sea again, since no one was there, and wrapped his armored arms around her waist.

Azula had been thinking a lot lately when she froze as a soldier wrapped his arms around her. "Who are you to lay your hands on me?" She growled out, looking up at the masked fire-bender's eyes.

"Aww. You mean I'm not aloud to pop in on my bestest fwiend in da whole wide world?!" A voice complained mockingly as one hand reached up to pull off the mask to reveal a grinning teen with sky blue eyes and three whiskered cheeks.

"N-N-Naruto?!" She said in shock as the embrace suddenly became warm, instead of a cold one from a seasoned fire-bender.

If possible, his grin widened. "The one and only, 'Zula-chan!" He chuckled as she turned a bit red. "Now, I'm guessing you're after your brother, and the Avatar, am I correct?" He asked her seriously.

"Yes." She groaned as she leaned her head back against his chest.

"Hmmm.... Maybe I could just blow up the ship, transform into the Avatar, leave just two survivors, and then the Fire Nation would think that you were killed by the Avatar." Naruto suggested weakly with a grimace. "It's too... too convenient."

"Guess we'll just have to wait then." Azula sighed before smiling weakly at him. "So, how's your search been?" She asked.

"Horrible!" He groaned, releasing her to sit down. "It seems he's always a few steps a head of me! I mean, I've been following him for a while now, but it seems that he's too far away to track, and there's no spirits that will talk to me for miles. And, every time I get to a place he's been, he either just left, of he left a few days earlier!" He laid down and covered his eyes with his arm. "The Avatar, both the current and Roku are really pissing me off! And now I-" His eyes flashed red and he suddenly sat up with a growl. "Someone's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state." He scowled in annoyance. He really is not in the mood for following the Avatar at the moment.

"Who would _want_ to put the Avatar in the Avatar state?!" Azula said in bewilderment as she sat down next to him.

"Idiots." Naruto replied as he leans against her. His head shot up and he pulled them up. "I should be going. Someone's coming, but I'll see you in a few... months, hopefully." He gave her a firm hug before disappearing in a burst of red and white maple leaves.

*** A few weeks ***

He was finally brought back to where he had started to actually search. He decided to pay a visit to Toph and her parents since he hadn't seen them in three years or so. He got there to find them upset and Toph no where to be seen. "Ohayou. Where's Toph-chan?" He asked and they looked at him.

Then realization seemed to dawn on them as they stared at the whiskers on his cheeks and noted his way of greeting. "Naruto! Oh thank the gods your here!" The woman said in relief. "The Avatar kidnapped Toph just two days ago!" She cried at him.

Naruto frowned. "Kidnapped?" He asked and the man nodded. "Hmm...." He tapped his temple as he thought, a habit they noticed he did when he was thinking. Toph was not someone to let herself be kidnapped, so she must have gone willingly or they figured out a way around her defenses. But, he may not like the boy because of the troubles he's caused him, but he knew for a fact that the Avatar would not do something like that. Wasn't he looking for an Earth-bending teacher? He suddenly wondered. "What if she went willingly?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" The two said in confusion.

"What if Toph-chan went willingly? I know for a fact that the Aang is not strong enough yet to take on Toph, I taught her everything she knows and I know her strengths from three years ago. I don't think the Avatar would be able to take Toph by force." He shook his head defiance.

"Well, could you go help her. If she didn't get kidnapped... please talk to her. We sent some people after them, but we're not sure we can trust them." The woman said.

"Hai. I'll do what I can." He turned to hop over the wall to join Azureinu on the side when the woman asked a question.

"And why are you dressed like a Fire Nation soldier?"

"Oh, I infiltrated aboard a few ships, and needed to blend in a bit." He grinned before hopping over and glancing at his attire. He needed to stop dressing like a fire-bender. It was getting him in enough trouble as it was. He grabbed his wolf companion and disappeared in a blur of red and black.

*** A few months ***

Naruto sighed as he walked towards the city of Ba Sing Se. He was going there through a desert, his sources tell him the Avatar has been there for about a month now. He jumped over the wall, completely unnoticed, and began following the presence. He and Azureinu were only about two miles away when he suddenly felt like the Fire Lord's palace was made into chakra and then forced into his skull while he was trampled by elephants, pounded on by hammers, and his eyes being gouged out with spoons. He nearly fell to his knees as he clutched his head in pure, deteriorating pain. He grit his teeth and fell forward as a few of the more nicer people came to check on him.

"Are you okay, kid?" An old man asked him.

"Y-yes." He bit out through his teeth as he froze and his eyes flashed a deep crimson red and the pain resided. He stood up, eyes wide as he shook his head. "No." He whispered. He suddenly made a mad dash in the direction of the retreating presence, the Avatar needed immediate medical attention. He flicked his wrists and the enterance to the crystal caves opened and he saw Azula and Zuko along with a few others.

*** ** ***

Azula kept a straight face as the Avatar's friends took Aang and a few soldiers were dragging a way her uncle. The second the two groups had disappeared, she broke down, much to the shock of many. She slumped to the ground and curled herself into a ball as she tried and failed to stiffle sobs. She'd just blown her chance to help Naruto, killing the Avatar by a complete accident. She'd only meant to knock him out of the Avatar state, but she'd miscalculated her aim.

"Azula?" Ty-lee began nervously, stepping forward. "Are you alright?" She asked in a voice full of concern and concern alone.

She looked up and everyone winced at the look of pure sorrow and despair in her eyes. She curled herself up further, burying her head in her knees. She mumbled something into her knees, but they couldn't make it out.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ty-lee asked again.

Zuko stared at her before walking over and placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "...Azula? A-Are you okay?" He hesitated.

To say that they were shocked when she suddenly leaned into him and cried into his shirt was a complete understatement. "I-I-I.... I didn't mean to kill him! I was trying to knock him out of the Avatar state! And now Naruto's going to hate me and he's going to get in trouble from the spirits for not being able to offer Aang guidance and friendship, and it... it... it's all my fault!" She sobbed into her brother's shoulder as his arms instinctively went around her as soon as she began talking.

Azula froze when she felt a familiar warmth of a very familiar hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned her head to the person next to her and everyone gasped as they hadn't noticed the blond haired, blue eye boy standing there until the moment Azula did. Azureinu was guarding the enterance while they talked.

She instinctively looked into his eyes and was confused by the look in them. They weren't angry, they weren't filled with hate and annoyance, they were filled with something different. Acceptance? Love? Passion? She wasn't sure, but she felt herself melt as she leaned into his touch.

"I don't hate you, 'Zula-chan." He said softly before he smiled gently. "Besides, the Avatar has been revived and will awake in a few weeks. I still have to catch up to him, but it'll be easier with him knock out." She looked down and Naruto felt the eyes on him, but didn't let his gaze waver from Azula. He cupped her face to bring her up to meet his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with him now. You did the right thing Azula, if you hadn't, I have no doubt he would have killed himself by forcing the Avatar state, or killed each and every one of the people in the cave when he tried. You saved everyone with what you did." He smiled gently and stood up gracefully. "Now, I don't think I've met anyone here." He murmured and she sniffed and dried her eyes before standing up and pulling her brother all the way.

"What's going on?" Mei demanded finally.

"Azula uses anger to hide her pain and lonelyness." Naruto said dismissively. "I am the Avatar's guardian, no matter how annoying it is that he's alway a head of me so I can't even help him because he doesn't even know me. You guys probably know me from wanted posters, but I am Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. Azula wants to join the Avatar and leave her bastard father, and I know for a fact that Zuko does too. We need to get going though, I'll meet up with you the next time you attack the Avatar. Make sure it's not for a few weeks at least, and I guess that means I'm off." He gave Azula a reassuring hug before disappearing in a blur of orange and black.

*** ** ***

I know, I know, Azula is way too ooc, but I like her better this way. Azureinu and Naruto have traveled great distances and are still following the Avatar, so you can understand why Naruto wants to kill both the previous and the current Avatar, he was almost there and could have been with the current from the start, but Roku gave him a task he needed to do before seeing him. So it's perfectly understandible.... I think.


	4. I'm a what!

Here's my next chapter!!!!

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Summary; Naruto, 10 yr old ANBU captain is sick and tired of the way he's treated by the civilians and the Hokage and his team couldn't agree more. He begins studying an practicing bending and soon uses the Kyuubi's temple to get to the world of the Avatar. A week before he left, Avatar Roku confronted him in a dream and asks him to be the Avatar's guardian and help him get through things! What will happen while he waits for the avatar to return? Will he get along with him? Will he make the friends he's always longed for and pull through with his promise to try and live a normal life as a bender/Shinobi more advanced than the Avatar with nine elements? Only time will tell...

Warnings; Foul language and bloody gore (queasy stomachs be warned!)

Rating; T for language and blood.

Pairing; NarutoxAzula and AangxToph

Disclaimer; I don't own anything! Not Naruto! Not Avatar! If I did than I'd rule the whole wide world!!!

*** ** ***

Naruto raced on the water, it had been about a week and a half and he knew that the Avatar was only about anoter two days away. He was tired of bending and his chakra control was lagging, so he was running on the ocean towards the ship that was about two more days away. He had Azureinu in his jacket to keep her from getting wet and drowning, her head was sticking out of it and her tongue hung out of her mouth as the wind blew through her fur and his hair. Naruto smiled when she yipped in excitement. "We'll be with the Avatar in no time." He suddenly paled when he realized something.... he was wearing _another_ Fire Nation outfit because it helped when he had to get through a Fire Nation dock.

He took a deep breath as he continued running and put a genjutsu around his clothes, making it look like he was wearing his Air Temple outfit. He sighed, he needed to work on his chakra control, he was using far too much chakra as it was.

*** Two days ***

A boy with dark brown hair and greyish blue eyes awoke with a groan and sat up groggily, the room was spinning as he stared at his feet, he had an arrow coming from under his hair and going up his arms under the bandages wrapped around his forearms. He had more bandages wrapped around that torso and up his legs under his pants. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and rested his hands on his knees and stared at the ground with a confused expression on his face.

He shook his head to clear it and held his side with his left hand. "What happened?" He asked no one. His voice was hoarse and pained. He looked up and started as he realized something. He was in a Fire Nation room, in a Fire Nation ship.

"Oh no." He said as he climbed to his feet. He went to the door and opened it slowly and looked for anyone that might spot him. He limped along the hall, using his staff for support as he made his way to the deck. He nearly turned to corner when a voice said. "Did you hear something?" He looked around the corner and saw two men in Fire Nation uniform. He took a deep breath and found his resolve.

He turned the corner and blasted air at the two before running down the hall again. The first voice shouted, "He's awake!" Before the two chased after him.

He rushed up the stairs as the two called out to him. He fell and saw two more men in Fire Nation uniform and saw his lemor being pet by one. "Momo?" He asked with a disorientated expression as the two looked up at him. As he pushed himself up, Momo ran to him and climbed to his shoulder.

"Twinkle toes, that's gotta be you!" Toph said as she and another ran to him. They both wore Fire Nation cloaks.

"Aang! You're awake!" The other said happily.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked uneasily as he stared at the people around him. He rubbed his eyes with his fist. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

"You're not dreaming, you're finally awake!" Katara, the other girl, said hugging him.

A Fire Nation soldier came and gave him a manly hug. "Aang, you're finally back with the living buddy." He said happily, Aang noted that it sounded like Sokka.

"Sokka?" He asked with a confused expression. He stared at him for a second and suddenly felt dizzy as the world began spinning.

"Uh oh, somebody catch him he's gonna..." Aang fell backwards and Katara caught him. She lowered him down as the others surrounded them in concern.

A bit later, he awoke again. "Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" He asked as some one gave him a blanket. "Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only one who's completely out of it?" He continued to ask Katara.

"You need to take it easily, okay? You got hurt pretty badly" Katara said softly. Aang's eyes softened and he looked down, holding his side. "I like your hair." She smiled.

Aang's head shot up. "Hair? I have hair?!" He asked, touching his head in surprise. "Just how long was I out?" He asked, looking ready to have a panic attack.

"Just a couple weeks." Katara told him.

"Everything okay?" A man with scars on his face and long brown hair asked, his skin was dark like Katara's and he had blue eyes.

Katara looked away. "We're fine dad."

"I'm Hakota, Katara and Sokka's father." The man said to Aang, holding out his hand.

"He know's who you are, I just called you dad, didn't I?" Katara said sourly, putting the blanket back around Aang's shoulders.

"I guess you're right." Hakota looked away.

Aang looked down before looking up with a smile. "Nice to officailly meet you Chief Hakota." He said, reaching out his hand.

"It's an honor to meet you." Hakota replied, shaking Aang's hand.

"Great, great, now you've finally met. So would you mind giving us a little privacy?" She said rudely, confusing Aang.

"Of course." Hakota had a sad look in his eyes as he walked away.

Aang turned to Katara, who was glaring after her dad. "Are you mad at your dad, or something?" He asked her with a frown.

"What?" She turned to him and her eyes softened. "Not at all, why would you say that?" She said quickly.

He stared at her for a moment.

*** A few hours later ***

After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety." Sokka was telling Aang. "We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King went off on his own... well.... kinda alone." He paused. "Soon, the Bay was over run by Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been traveling west." He pointed to the map in front of them. "We crossed the Serpant's pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships but they've left us alone so far." He explained.

Aang looked up. "So, what now?" He asked.

"We've made a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakota explained.

Katara looked at him sharply "It's Sokka's invasion plan." She said crossly.

Hakota hid his sadness. "Yes, Sokka's invasion plan." He admitted.

They continued to explain for a bit. "And we've got a secret." Sokka said excitedly.

"What?" Aang asked in confusion.

"You."

"Me?!" A miffed Aang asked.

"Yes! The whole world thinks you're dead!" Sokka said happily.

Aang stared at him. He was about to say more when a voice made them all jump. "I've finally caught up with you!" A voice snarled in pure annoyance. Toph searched with her feet, but couldn't find the source of the voice. It sounded so familiar.

"Who said that?!" Sokka demanded as he went on high alert.

"I've been looking for you since you woke up! And you're always a few steps a head of me! It's bad enough that you almost got killed trying to go into the Avatar state! And worse, if Azula hadn't of stopped you, you'd probably had killed everyone in Ba Sing Se!" A boy raged as he landed on the deck from who know's where. "Do you know how hard it is to find you?! What if Toph or any of your friends had to find you but you were on the move and they were too late to find you for their troubles, eh!? What would you do if someone died because they couldn't find you?! Gah! I mean it, if it wasn't my job to-"

"Naruto!" Toph tried, but the boy didn't seem to hear, as he continued raging on and on.

"Protect you, I'd kill you myself!" Naruto snarled. "I could kill you for all the troubles you've caused me, Avatar! I could kill you!!" The teen finally sighed out his pent up annoyance and grinned at them all sheepishly, scratching his head nervously.

They stared at him. The boy had blond hair and everything that he said just freaked them all, except Toph, out beyond their skin. He had eyes so blue that they could put the sky to shame and looked to be about fifteen with three whisker marks adorning his face on either cheek. But the thing that made them exceptionally weary was what he was wearing, he was wearing the average fire bending attire.

"Ohayou guys. I've been waiting to meet you all. Hey Toph-imouto, why didn't you keep them in one place so I could meet up with them? Now I feel about ready to kill everyone you've been traveling with." He pouted innocently as they turned to Toph, who rolled her non-seeing eyes.

"What ever Naruto-ani, you can't kill him and you know it, too." She scoffed and he rolled his eyes and placed Azureinu on the ground.

"I _could_ killed him if I really wanted to, you know that. But if I did, the spirits would have my head." He said pointedly as he straightened up. He suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion from using chakra non stop for two weeks, his genjutsu had wore away a few hours ago. He stumbled forward and held his head at the sudden dizziness. "Note to self.... Never, ever, _ever_, run for two weeks with no rest. Not... good." He muttered as he nearly fell forward, only to be caught by Toph, who nearly fell over from the extra weight.

Aang and the others continued to stare when Aang stood and helped his friend lower Naruto to the ground. "So, who is this guy?" Sokka asked as they surrounded them.

"This is Naruto, he taught me nearly everything I know." Toph said with pride. Their eyes bugged out slightly and they stared at the teen again. "He can explain when he wakes up, he looked pretty tired." She said when Azureinu yipped and ran to her, licking her face. "Down! Down girl!" She laughed loudly as the small wolf rested in her lap.

"So, how did he get here with no boat?" Katara asked in confusion.

"He's got strange abilities." Toph replied, petting Azureinu absently.

"Let's get him to a room so he can rest." Hakota commented uneasily. He didn't trust the boy, but he had perfectly good reasonings. The boy was dressed like a firebender, he appeared from who know's where, and threatens to kill the Avatar after saying he'd been searching for a very long time. Who would trust someone if the first thing he say's is 'I could kill you for the troubles you've caused me'? They brought him down bellow the deck and began to carry him to an empty room.

"So, how did you meet this guy?" Aang asked Toph as they dragged Naruto down a hall, the others following them.

"He saved my father and then was my guard for two years. We're really close, he taught me a lot of earthbending skills, listened to me, taught me some of his first language except for swear words, which he uses a lot, and let me play with Azureinu." Toph explained briefly, gesturing to the wolf at her feet.

"Hmm... When was this, anyway?" Sokka asked as he sped up to join the conversation.

"About four years ago." Toph shrugged. "I was eight."

They stared at the boy a bit, he didn't look that special. Of course, neither did Aang. "So, how old is he now?" Hakota asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fifteen, maybe sixteen. I can't remember when his birthday is." She shrugged. "Haven't seen him in a while." She added and they nodded.

"So... can he bend any elements?" Katara asked in interest.

"A few." Toph shrugged and they raised an eyebrow in question.

"So what, is he like another avatar?" Sokka frowned and Aang looked just as confused.

"No, he's the Avatar's guardian." Toph replied as they got to an empty room. They stared at the boy a moment and followed Toph out.

"So, he's supposed to offer guidance to Aang?" Katara asked.

"Pretty much." She responded as she went back to the upper deck with them following. After a while, Sokka remembered something.

"I think I've seen Naruto before." Katara said, just as he was about to speak up.

"Really?" Aang asked. "Where?"

"When we were leaving the North Pole, remember when we almost ran someone over?" Aang and Sokka nodded. "The boy had blond hair that was like the sun. I've only met one person with hair like that, and that's Naruto." She said and Aang's eyes widened.

"He really was following us around the world!" He said kinda miffed.

"Yeah." Toph sighed as she sat down next to him. "How ya feeling?" She asked.

"I've been better."

"Hey guys, this might seem weird, but I think I've seen him somewhere other than one incident." Sokka finally spoke up and they looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Toph asked.

"I can't put my finger on it, but I think I've seen his face somewhere." Sokka looked thoughtful, lost in his memories when his eyes widened and he grabbed his bag. "I knew I've seen him before!" He exclaimed as he grabbed a poster and opened it to reveal a wanted poster with a very familiar face on it. The picture was of Naruto and the bounty was about fifty over Aang's. They stared at it and Toph tapped on Aang's shoulder.

"Yes Toph?" He asked, adverting his gaze from the picture.

"What's it say?" She asked.

"It's Naruto, with a bounty higher than mine." Aang replied and Toph's nonseeing eyes widened in surprise.

"What did he do?" Katara asked Sokka, who was looking over the poster.

"I'm not sure, it doesn't say."

"I pissed them off, made most of them piss their pants, and killed all the guards guarding Ozai's home and five of his generals because they died of heartattack and siezures in fear alone." A voice said and they all jump and turned to find nothing. Toph walked forward and grabbed what seemed like air, but then Naruto appeared out of nowhere and was being held by the front of his shirt with a grin on his face. "Ohayou Toph-imouto, long time since I last saw you. How ya been?" He asked.

"Stop scaring people who are already iffy of you, idiot." She said as she bonked him on the head, he made no move to dodge as she let him go.

He pouted playfully. "Aw, you know you trust me, so I can scare them all I want and just send Aang to the spirit world to have Roku explain it to him." He turned to the others. "I don't think I've met you. I mean, I know who he is and she is, but I've never met anyone else here." He said with a frown as Azureinu jumped on his shoulder.

"Oh, this is Aang, you already knew that. This is Katara, and this is Sokka. The others you'll meet sooner or later." Toph said happily, way too out of character than the others had ever seen her.

"Sokka?" Naruto asked in confusion. "You mean that firebender who ran from the Fire Nation and into the South Pole about eighty or ninety years ago?" He frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked in confusion. "My grandfather is from Earth country and he wasn't a bender."

"Earth country, eh?" Naruto chuckled and walked up to her and Sokka. He cupped his chin in thought and stared at them intensely, they flinched slightly under the gaze. Naruto sniffed once and smiled. "You're a water bender, yes. But him, he's a firebender." They stared at him a bit.

"W-what the hell is he talking about?!" Sokka and Katara demanded in unison.

"He. Is. A. Firebender." Naruto said slowly, emphasizing each word.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Aang asked in confusion.

"Sokka, you're just a late bloomer. You're grandfather was a firebender that ran away from war and fell for a water bender, your grandmother. I know this because I know a few spirits that were a friend to your grandfather, Sokka. You smell like smoke and ash, meaning you're a firebender. All you need to do is learn the concept of bending fire and you'll be on your way." Naruto smiled, making a small flame on his thumb. "It's really not that hard." He closed his fist and sat down as Sokka began having a nervous break down.

"I am not a bender. I can't bend anything!" He said hysterically, assuming the fetal position and rocking back and forth.

"After all this time of not trusting firebenders he finds out he is one." Katara sighed and sat down next to Naruto. "So, what's your story?" She asked him wearily.

After Sokka calmed down, he listened to Naruto's tale with his friends and father. When Naruto finished speaking, they stared at him. "So, when I go into the Avatar state, it causes you pain?" Aang asked with a frown.

"Sometimes, but it depends on the cause. When you tried forcing it, you could've blown yourself up and killed half the people in Ba Sing Se. 'Zula-chan saved many people by nearly killing you." Naruto yawned and leaned against the wall as their eyes bugged out and Sokka, Katara, and Toph jumped to their feet.

"Did you just call princess Azula, Zula-chan!?" Katara and Toph shouted in horror.

"...yes." He said with a frown. "She's my best friend, is there something wrong with that?" He asked in confusion.

"She's your what?!?!" Sokka shouted.

Naruto stared at him and paused. "...my best friend." He said weakly.

"Okay, you should best explain why you're best friends with her!!" Sokka said, glaring at the boy he had almost trusted.

Naruto sighed and began his tale, after a while, everyone began to understand the concept that was Azula the Fire Princess. When he finished they were looking down. "So, she's going to join us?" Aang said slowly.

"Pretty much." Naruto replied.

"How will we know if we can trust her?" Sokka asked.

"How did you know you could trust me and Toph?" Naruto challenged.

"Point taken." Sokka looked down.

"So, this firebending... are you going to teach it to me?" He asked.

"Sure, but you'll have to teach Aang too." Naruto shrugged and Sokka sighed.

"How do we always get into these situations?" He groaned.

They sat there and Naruto took out a pouch and went through his things. "Kuso!" He cursed as he tallies off what he was out of, what he needed, what he was almost out of, and the things that he needed that second but didn't have.

He stood up with a stretch. "I've got to go make some more hea-- heal-- HACHOOO!" He flew up into the air and fell into the sea. He jumped back over, sputtering and soaking wet. "Health seals!" He shouted in a rage and stomped off as they stared at him.

"What just happened?" Katara asked slowly.

"He has year round allergies and uses seals to keep healthy so he doesn't blow his cover when doing survalence and the sort. He also hates flying into the air when he has no control over where he lands and how high up he goes." Toph explained in a matter of fact voice.

They stared at her. "What's health seals?" Aang asked finally.

"You know those sealing techniques he was talking about, there are many kind of seals and he uses a thing known as health seals to keep his allergies out of the way." Toph explained and everyone present nodded in understanding.

*** ** ***

I know, I know! It's a stupid and lame chapter but I'm starting to suffer from writter's block and couldn't think of a way for explanations and the sort. Anyway, I hope you could still enjoy!!! Ja Ne!!


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